There was some interesting activity on the player personnel front at Lions headquarters on Wednesday. The team hosted free agent defensive end David Irving on an official visit.
Irving played two games for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020 and he finished the season on the team’s practice squad. But he’s best known for his four seasons in Dallas. He bagged seven sacks in eight games for the Cowboys in 2017 and has been a consistent pass rushing threat when he’s been on the field. It’s staying on the field that has been the primary issue for Irving, now 27.
Irving had previously retired from the NFL after several suspensions for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He’s had some troubling off-field issues that make him a risky proposition, as noted by Cowboys Wire in 2019,
After being suspended four games at the start of each of the last two seasons (PEDs in 2017 and substance abuse in 2018), he played just two games before injuring his ankle. During rehab, Irving stayed away from the facility and did not attend meetings until the last few weeks of the season and was never activated.
He returned to the league after the NFL altered its policy on marijuana testing. He has been an outspoken advocate of using marijuana.